Kurt Busch's crew chief departs Penske Racing

Autoracing Betting Lines

11/22/2011 - Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Addington will not return as crew chief for Kurt Busch's No.22 Dodge at Penske Racing in 2012, the team announced Tuesday.

Addington had served as Busch's crew chief since the start of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season. The two won four races and claimed five poles together. They also made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship last year and this season. Busch finished the 2011 season 11th in points, one spot ahead of his younger brother, Kyle.

"Steve Addington is no longer with our organization," Penske Racing president Tim Cindric posted on the team's Twitter account. "We appreciate the successes we experienced together and wish him well in his future endeavors."

Addington paired with Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing prior to his arrival at Penske.

There is wide speculation that Addington will join Stewart-Haas Racing as crew chief for Tony Stewart's championship-winning No.14 team. Stewart clinched his third Sprint Cup title with a win in Sunday's season-ending 400-mile race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Wwwmasslottery Autoracing Betting News

<< Mitchell, McSurdy take top Big Sky honors
Ogden, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eastern Washington senior quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and Montana senior linebacker Caleb McSurdy were named the Big Sky Conference's offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, on Tuesday. Co-Bi

<< Braun captures NL MVP Award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has been named the National League's Most Valuable Player, as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Braun placed first on 20 of the 32 ballots cas

<< Lum, Schaetzke headline Patriot League honors
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lehigh senior quarterback Chris Lum and Georgetown senior defensive end Andrew Schaetzke were named the Patriot League offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, on Tuesday. Georgetown adde

<< Baseball announces new labor deal
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There continues to be labor peace in baseball. After the NFL survived its brief labor tiff during the summer and the NBA currently wallows through its acrimonious lockout, Major League Baseball will continue w

<< Princeton's Dibilo is Ivy rookie of the year
Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Princeton freshman running back Chuck Dibilio was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. Dibilo is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented by The Sportsbook Betting Lines, sponsored by Fathead.

Flat Out returns in Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defeated Breeders' Cup Classic favorite Flat Out makes a quick turnaround for Friday's $500,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile dirt race has attracted a solid field of 13. Flat

Georgia Southern grabs SoCon honors >>
Spartanburg, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia Southern won or shared in three of the Southern Conference's major coaches' awards that were announced on Tuesday. Junior defensive lineman Brent Russell was named defensive player of the year, Jef

Coyotes ink Turris to multi-year deal >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes signed forward Kyle Turris to a multi-year contract Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the pact is dependent upon Turris passing a physical. "We are pleased t

Maysonet, Bethel headline All-Big South team >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stony Brook junior running back Miguel Maysonet and Presbyterian senior defensive back Justin Bethel were named the Big South Conference offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, on Tuesday.

Three Lions among CFL weekly winners >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winnipeg running back Chris Garrett and three members of the British Columbia Lions have been named the CFL players of the week for the second round of the playoffs. Garrett earned the offensive honor afte

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.